93: Chapter 93 The entire hospital's debts will be paid by Young Master Li.

The phone vibrated.

A WeChat message from Director Pei Zhao.

A PDF file.

"Entertainment Contract."

Opened it.

Swiped a finger across the screen.

Eyes rested on the second page.

"Brave Blue Friends" and "Busy Roommates."

Two programs.

Looked down at the schedule.

First four weeks, fully enclosed residency at the Pengcheng Fire Special Service Squadron.

Last four weeks, report to the squadron at 6:00 AM every day, and return to the villa at 8:00 PM to record "Busy Roommates."

Li Li tapped the windowsill in the corridor.

Called Director Pei Zhao.

"Director Pei Zhao, you've got the wrong contract, haven't you?"

"It's not wrong. What's the matter?"

"The first four weeks are fully enclosed as a Firefighter, and the last four weeks involve leaving early and returning late every day while balancing the villa cohabitation. Do you think I'm made of iron?"

"It was specially approved by the Emergency Management Bureau." Director Pei Zhao laughed on the other end. "The Pengcheng Fire Special Service Squadron is only three kilometers away from your cohabitation villa. Seamless integration."

"Even a donkey on a Production Team wouldn't be scheduled like this."

"There's extra pay. Two programs, three million each, six million total after tax. Byte Group is rich and powerful, just tell me if you'll do it or not."

Li Li leaned against the wall.

"Who is in 'Busy Roommates'?"

"Confidential."

"If you don't tell me, I won't sign."

The other end of the line was quiet for two seconds.

"Jiang Rumu is in it."

Li Li pressed the speakerphone.

Switched to the WeChat interface.

Opened the electronic contract.

Signed it.

Sent it.

"Signed."

Director Pei Zhao was choked by this speed.

"Your speed at changing your attitude is faster than flipping a book—"

Hung up the phone.

Less than five minutes later.

The phone vibrated.

[Your savings card ending in 8848 has received 6,000,000.00 RMB.]

Li Li stared at the string of zeros.

Counted them three times.

Switched back to WeChat to find Director Pei Zhao.

"You're even faster at changing than me. Is this money stolen? Are you afraid of it being recovered, so you put it in my account?"

Director Pei Zhao replied instantly.

"Byte Group has plenty of money and few issues. If you dare to run, the legal department can chase you into your next life."

Li Li put away the phone.

There were 5.6 million left in the card.

Adding this 6 million.

11.6 million.

Enough.

He called Teacher Wang.

"Teacher Wang, send me the public account for the Qingcheng Orphanage."

"What do you need the account for?"

"To pay back the money."

"Keep that money for the director's medical treatment. How can you pay back over eight million?"

"Send it over."

A minute later, a string of account numbers was sent to WeChat.

Li Li opened mobile banking.

Entered the account number.

Entered the amount.

10,000,000.

Clicked transfer.

Facial recognition.

Passed.

[Transfer successful]

Took a screenshot and sent it to Teacher Wang.

Attached a voice message.

"Ten million. Use over eight million to clear all bank loans. A non-profit orphanage carrying loan interest is a loss. Pay all the owed wages and benefits to the staff, and keep the remaining money on the books."

Qingcheng Orphanage, finance office.

Teacher Wang was worrying over a table full of payment reminders.

The phone rang.

Opened WeChat.

The image loaded.

She pushed up her reading glasses and leaned closer to the screen.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions, ten-millions.

Her breath hitched.

She stood up abruptly.

Her knee knocked over the chair.

"Old Liu!"

Teacher Liu from the office next door ran over.

"What's wrong? Are the debt collectors here again?"

Teacher Wang shoved the phone into his face.

"Li Li sent the money."

Teacher Liu saw the long string of numbers clearly.

His legs went weak, and he held onto the door frame.

"Ten... Ten million?"

Teacher Wang's eyes turned red instantly.

The words she used to scold Li Li in the hospital corridor last night now all slammed back into her own face.

She dialed the phone with trembling hands.

It connected.

"Li Li..." Her voice was completely hoarse. "Where... did this money come from?"

"Earned legitimately. It's clean."

"I... I shouldn't have scolded you like that yesterday..."

"You were right to scold me. The old me was a jerk."

The voice on the other end was calm.

"Go to the bank quickly and clear the loans. It pains me if the interest rolls over for even one more day."

Teacher Wang covered her mouth.

Tears splashed onto the payment reminders.

She bowed deeply toward the phone.

"On behalf of the four hundred people in the orphanage... thank you."

Li Li returned to the hospital ward.

Zhang Guifang was undergoing pre-operative examinations, watched by a caregiver.

"Mother Zhang, I've hired two high-level caregivers for 24-hour shifts."

Zhang Guifang glared over.

"Do you have too much money to burn? Cancel it! I can walk and move on my own!"

"The money is paid, it can't be canceled."

Li Li slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"I'm going back to the Qingcheng Orphanage to check on my territory."

Zhang Guifang didn't scold him anymore.

Watching his back.

"Be careful on the road."

Li Li waved his left hand without looking back.

3:00 PM.

At the foot of Mount Qingcheng.

A large iron gate with peeling paint.

A rusty sign: Qingcheng Children's Orphanage.

Pushed open the gate.

A group of children in old school uniforms were playing with mud in the open space in the yard.

Hearing the sound, they all stopped moving.

They all looked over in unison.

Jiajia squeezed out of the crowd, holding a mud ball in her hand.

"Brother Li Li!"

Hugged his thigh.

Mud smeared onto his black pants.

Li Li ruffled her pigtails.

"Where is Teacher Wang?"

"She went to the bank in the city, saying she had to do something big!"

Li Li scanned the area.

Fifty thousand square meters of land, less than one-tenth used, three gray, dusty small buildings with wall plaster peeling down to the bricks. The remaining open space was used for growing vegetables and raising chickens—eggs are the most cost-effective protein in any era, Mother Zhang calculated this well.

Four hundred people.

Now they were all his.

The phone vibrated.

Jiang Rumu's WeChat.

"Have you made up an excuse for being a father?"

Li Li typed with one hand.

"Didn't make one up. I'm about to become the director of the orphanage."

She replied instantly.

"Did you take out the original director?"

"The original director is my foster mother. She is preparing to pass the land and more than three hundred children to me."

The top of the dialog box displayed "Typing...".

It flashed for a full minute.

Sent a message.

"Tell me if you need money for milk powder."

Li Li stared at these six characters.

The top celebrity in the entertainment industry, with over a hundred million fans, was now offering to cover the milk powder expenses for three hundred kids.

He put his phone in his pocket without replying.

Some favors are heavier to remember than to speak out loud.

"Brother Li Li, what are you laughing at?" Jiajia tugged at his pant leg.

"Nothing. Tell everyone, we're having Hotpot tonight."

A cheer erupted in the yard.

Li Li walked toward the main building.

Just arrived at the stairwell.

A van stopped outside the iron gate.

The door opened.

Several men in suits stepped out.

The leader was a bald man with a gold chain around his neck.

"Who is in charge here?"

Li Li stopped and turned around.

"Me."

The bald man sized him up.

"You? Where is Zhang Guifang?"

"She's in the hospital. What's the matter?"

The bald man pulled a stack of papers from his bag.

"What's the matter? Pay up! Your orphanage owes our Hengtai Building Materials three hundred thousand for repairs, it's been delayed for two years!"

Li Li walked up to him.

"Contract, proof of debt, account number, give them to me."

The bald man was stunned.

"Yo, you talk big. Can you come up with three hundred thousand?"

Li Li took out his phone.

"Cut the crap. The stuff."

The bald man handed over the documents suspiciously and recited the card number.

Li Li glanced at the documents and called Teacher Wang.

Teacher Wang confirmed—Boss Yang's Hengtai Building Materials was indeed owed over three hundred thousand. The repair quality was good, and the price given to the orphanage was very low. Every time he came to collect, he was fierce, but he wouldn't actually do anything. It was said that because his family was pressuring him, Boss Yang could only come and try every month.

Li Li hung up the phone.

Operated the phone.

Two minutes later.

The phone in the bald man's pocket rang.

Took it out and looked.

[Your account ending in 7788 has received 400,000.00 RMB.]

The bald man stared at the screen.

"This..."

"The previous debt is cleared, the extra is for the next repair prepayment." Li Li put his phone back in his pocket. "In the future, for work at the orphanage, we'll prioritize you."

The bald man swallowed hard.

"Brother—straightforward! We at Hengtai are on call!"

The van drove away in a flash.

Li Li turned and looked at the children poking their heads out.

"It's fine now, go play."

Main building, finance office.

A musty smell.

The table was piled with receipts.

Water bills, electricity bills, grocery receipts.

All in red ink.

Li Li flipped through the staff list. Thirty full-time, twenty part-time. Four hundred children, fifty staff members.

Footsteps came from outside the door.

Teacher Wang and Teacher Liu pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing Li Li sitting behind the desk, Teacher Wang was stunned for a moment, then walked over quickly.

"The bank is sorted out. The loans are all cleared, and the overdue wages have been paid. We haven't paid out money for over half a year, and the group chat exploded today."

Li Li nodded.

"Since wages are paid, work must be done well. Raise the meal standard by double, there must be meat, eggs, and milk every day. Make a list of equipment for the teaching building, replace what needs replacing."

Teacher Wang took a pen to record, her hand trembling.

"How much will this cost..."

"You don't need to worry about the money."

Li Li stood up and walked to the window.

The children were still making noise in the yard, Jiajia was directing a group of little ones to run toward the cafeteria, shouting "Brother Li Li said we're having Hotpot tonight."

The phone vibrated again.

Not WeChat.

It was an unknown phone number.

Li Li picked it up.

"Is this Mr. Li Li? I am the filming director for the Brave Blue Friends Production Team, regarding your training next month—"

The other party paused.

"There is a situation the Production Team needs to inform you about in advance."

"The list of teammates during your training has changed. Two of the originally scheduled guests have withdrawn, and the replacements have been confirmed."

"Actually, I don't even know who is in it."

"It was originally confidential, but the one from the Company had scheduling issues, so they changed it to another person from their Company. Another person was injured and couldn't participate, so we found a suitable replacement. We thought they were all artists you had intersections with in the previous variety show, so we're just notifying you."

Li Li was curious, "Who?"

The sound of flipping paper on the other end of the line.

"Gu Zeyan and Shen Yu."